Meal Planning Made Simple: Recipes and Tips for Seniors Living Solo

Simple guidelines and healthy recipes for one to make mealtime at home a cinch

You’d think that making meals for one would be easier than cooking up a storm for a hungry household. But seniors often struggle when eating at home on their own.

While that’s understandable, it’s not the best idea for your health. According to Canada’s Food Guide, “As you age, it is important to eat a variety of healthy foods to make sure you get enough of the different nutrients you need.”

Here’s a simple, sensible approach to successful meal planning, shopping for ingredients and preparing recipes for one person.

Five tasty tips: healthy meals for one

1. Meal planning made easy
2. Reconsider skipping meals, over-snacking, convenience foods and dining out
3. Clear and simple dietary guidelines for seniors
4. Quick, easy and healthy recipes for one
5. Easy, healthy choices pay big dividends

Tasty tip #1: Meal planning made easy

Cooking for one seems like it would be simpler than preparing meals for two or more people. So, what makes it a challenge for many seniors?

When you are on your own, it’s easier to take the path of least resistance. When others dine with you, you have a reason to cook, whether you feel like it or not. But when alone, you might say to yourself, “I’m too tired to cook tonight. I’ll just pop something in the microwave or snack on a bowl of pretzels.”

If this sounds like you, here’s some good news: With a bit of planning and a little effort, you can eat healthy meals that are fast and easy to prepare.

Planning is the secret to eating delicious, nutritious meals every day. Just grab a pen and notepad, or make a spreadsheet on your computer, and map out your meals for the entire week.

To make meal planning even easier, download a free printable weekly meal planner (like these examples). There are spaces for breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day, plus a handy grocery list. Plan three healthy, tasty meals each day. When you write it all down, you can see if there is enough variety, which can help you stick to your plan.

Many people who cook for themselves like to do their meal planning on the same day each week, often on a weekend day.

Once you’ve picked your meals, the next step is to write down the necessary ingredients.

Just as it’s simpler to plan a whole week’s meals at once, it’s better to make fewer trips to the grocery store. That’s why it’s smart to jot down a grocery shopping strategy.

Be sure to bring your grocery list with you to the store! Equally important: Stick to your list and avoid loading up on impulse items.

Here are two final meal planning tips to reduce extra work and food waste.

• When you create your weekly menus, think about how your main course from one day can be utilized in a new recipe with leftovers the following day. For example, if you have ham on Sunday, you could use the ham in an egg white omelet on Monday. Or, if you’ve made chicken and rice with vegetables, incorporate the leftover ingredients to make a stir-fry the next day.
• Make things easier on yourself with frozen vegetables or fruit. Stocking these items in your freezer will make meal prep faster while providing more variety.

Tasty tip #2: Reconsider skipping meals, over-snacking, convenience foods and dining out

There are plenty of reasons to skip meals, ranging from “I’m too busy” and “I’m not hungry” to “I’d rather rest and watch TV.” Whatever the rationale, unless there is a medical reason, most of us stay healthier eating three meals every day.

Closely related to skipping meals is snacking. We snack when we tell ourselves we’re too weary to cook a meal. We snack when we’re bored or stressed. We snack because, frankly, it tastes good.

Everyone deserves a good snack now and then. But if you find yourself mindlessly munching chips rather than sitting down to a well-rounded meal, it might be time to rethink your priorities.

Convenience foods are, well, convenient. After a long day, it’s easy to just heat up a frozen TV dinner. Again, that’s fine if you don’t overdo it. However, a steady diet of convenience meals, whether heated in the microwave or picked up at a drive-thru window, may add too much sodium – not to mention hidden sugars and preservatives with names that are hard to pronounce.

Finally, dining out can be fun and delicious. But have you noticed the huge portions served in restaurants? Two suggestions on this: One, you can request a to-go box and heat up leftovers the next day; two, you can invite a friend and share a meal together.

Tasty tip #3: Clear and simple dietary guidelines for seniors

There are many popular diets – Mediterranean, DASH, MIND, low-carb, keto and more.

But if you want to keep things simple, here are some easy guidelines to follow:

• Eat balanced meals containing each of the key food groups, including vegetables, fruits, starches and proteins.
• Divide your plate into three sections: 25% protein, such as lean meats, seafood or vegetable protein like beans or tofu; 25% whole grains including wheat, oats or rice; 50% vegetables or fruit.
• Feature fresh, whole foods rather than prepackaged meals. If you are not a label detective already, do yourself a favor and read all labels before putting an item in your shopping cart.
• Don’t shy away from frozen vegetables or fruit. Keeping a supply of veggies and fruit in the freezer makes meal prep faster and easier.
• Go slow with fried and breaded foods.
• Control your sugar intake.
• Be sure to drink plenty of water.

Tasty tip #4: Quick, easy and healthy recipes for one

These recipes are nutritious and delicious. Try them out and see how quick and easy it is to eat a healthy diet. We highlight the recipes here, but please download the recipe guide below and keep it handy. The recipes include nutritional information, which is helpful if you are on a heart-healthy diet, a DASH (low-salt) diet, have type 2 diabetes or have some other health issue. Once you’ve made these dishes, get creative, expand your horizons, explore more options – and keep on cooking.

Download our healthy recipes

Homemade granola with honey

If you’ve never made granola at home before, it’s a real treat. Ingredients include old-fashioned rolled oats, almonds, raisins, honey, a couple of seasonings and a little oil. Prepping the recipe is easy, and the aroma while it bakes is almost as great as how it tastes.

Put your homemade granola with honey in an airtight container and store at room temperature. You can use it with the next recipe.

Yogurt and granola

This two-ingredient recipe is as easy as it is tasty. Scoop 125 mL of your favourite yogurt into a bowl. Then sprinkle 15 mL of granola on top. We recommend using the homemade granola with honey recipe listed above. If you use a store-bought brand, select a low-sugar variety.

Quiche Florentine

This popular “French pie” works at any time of day. Enjoy it fresh from the oven for breakfast. Serve it chilled at lunchtime along with a side salad. Or try it as a main course for dinner alongside a serving of fresh vegetables.

Quiche Florentine is a classic quiche recipe starring Swiss cheese and spinach. It’s surprisingly easy to make and provides balanced nutritional value that qualifies as a complete meal.

One more serving suggestion: Invite a friend over and share the deliciousness.

Chef’s salad bowl

A chef’s salad is a perennial favourite on many restaurant menus. But have you made one at home lately?

It goes together fast – and provides a bowl full of protein (ham, turkey, cheese and egg) and veggies (this recipe includes romaine lettuce, a green bell pepper and tomatoes).

Serve your favourite dressing on the side and you’re good to go.

Chicken and fresh fruit salad

This salad is packed with protein, veggies and fruit – and works well for carb counters.

You’ll start by pulling a boneless, skinless chicken breast from the freezer. Make our super-tasty marinade – and marinate overnight.

The next day, grill the chicken, and then slice it into bite-sized chunks. Add chopped lettuce (try a 50/50 blend of iceberg and romaine) along with fresh fruit such as berries, grapes, mandarin oranges or whatever is in season.

Tasty tip #5: Easy, healthy choices pay big dividends

The building blocks of a healthy diet for seniors are basic, so don’t make things too complicated.

Consume plenty of fibre, eat lots of vegetables, fruit and grains, enjoy lean meats and plant-based protein, and balance your plate according to the 25% protein, 25% whole grains and 50% fruit or veggies rule. Make it a goal to eat three meals a day, at the same time, on a regular schedule.

Finally, when faced with two snack or meal options, make healthy choices as often as possible. Try an apple instead of a candy bar. Or grilled chicken and vegetables rather than pizza. You might need to adjust a few habits at first, but the long-term health benefits will be worth it.

Curious about what it would be like to enjoy freshly prepared meals as part of a fun retirement lifestyle? Visit an Atria Retirement Canada community near you and get a taste of independent senior living.